The Boy Next Door

This movie is a low budget made-for-TV movie produced by the Canadian movie networks. I've seen it commercial-free on The Movie Network, but it nevertheless had regular fade-to-blacks intended for commercial breaks.

It is a generic movie of the week designed for woman cable channels, without any discernible effort or deviation from the formula. You probably have already seen this story a dozen times on cable.

Sara is a beautiful and single novelist who lives an ideal life in an ideal television small town. A murder happens and she becomes the prime suspect. As per formula, the Sara will try to solve the mystery, and will be lightly threatened by someone who wants her off their track.

Sara will of course struggle to convince the good looking and well meaning policeman who's investigating the case that she's in danger and being framed.

As you must know from the formula, the actual murderer will turn out to be either a friend, the other woman, or the policeman, and you do not really get the clues to solve this mystery. It just sort of happens.

Everything is per formula. Everyone is middle class, single, beautiful, and a little stiff. Everything is clean and new. There is no violence or serious conflict, and in this case no romance. This movie will not offend or interest anyone, it is strictly a time filler for cable.

Dina Meyers makes this mystery watchable. A writer moves to a small town and rents a house. Next door a younger man not that much younger as the title would suggest becomes an object of interest for the writer. The guy is murdered and she becomes a suspect. The cops seem to think it was her. It's fairly diverting to see how she finds out who the real killer is. Dina is beautiful and a convincing actress.

I think this was an excellent movie and I would watch it again! Very suspenseful!

Watch Dina Meyer walk.

Watch Dina Meyer work on her laptop.

Watch Dina Meyer talk on the phone.

Watch Dina Meyer driving.

Watch Dina Meyer crossing the street.

Watch Dina Meyer sneaking into a house.

Watch Dina Meyer talking to police officer.

Watch Dina Meyer look like Michelle Pfeiffer.

Watching Dina Meyer is basically what this film is. It had such a low budget that the only thing you see is a solo Dina Meyer doing mundane things.

It's basically a one woman show.

On one hand, it's the pits but on the other hand, if you're a fan of Dina Meyer you'll LOVE this film. It actually sorta fascinating on how the writers and director thought up this film vis a vis the film's budget. It sorta works as a minimalistic experience.

San Francisco novelist Sara Wylde (Dina Meyer) is having writer's block. She rents a lakehouse in the country and is taken with young Michael Ellory next door. There's the nosy house owner Marie, the bookstore couple, and the coffee house guy. Michael's father Edward is a rich and powerful man. Michael turns up dead after a date with the mayor's wife Nicole Warner. The police suspects Sara who had been spying on Michael.

The guy is not really a boy. She's older than him but there is nothing scandalous. He looks like he's in his 20's and with no great charisma. I was actually quite relieved when he turns up dead. It could be an interesting murder mystery but the characters are not well-written. The cops are too dense. Sara is not that quick either. One would expect better from a mystery murder writer who thinks about police crime dramas all day long. Cory Monteith has a minor role. This is not that good.